Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Florida does not sell a remote online notarization license. Get a four-year notary commission under s. 117.01, then register as an online notary under s. 117.225 with a $25,000 bond, $25,000 E&O, a technology course, and a compliant platform. The notary's own online fee is capped at $25. Confirm fees and timing with the Department of State.
Do you need a license for remote online notarization in Florida?
No. Florida does not issue an occupational license titled remote online notarization. What people call a Florida RON license is two credentials stacked on top of each other. You need a current Florida notary public commission first. You then register with the Department of State as an online notary public under chapter 117, Part II.[1][2]
Skip the registration and you can still do wet-ink work. You cannot take an acknowledgment over audio-video. That is the whole distinction.
Search results will still say "RON license" because other states use that phrase. Florida's statute says "registration as an online notary public." If a coach sells you a Florida RON license number, ask them to point at the statute. They cannot. Confirm your commission and any online registration on the Department of State side, never on a vendor dashboard.
Remote online notarization Florida rules sit in the same chapter as ordinary notary law. There is no separate licensing board, no extra occupational exam, and no license card. The Governor still appoints notaries. The Department of State handles the online registration file.
I would not start by buying software. Print s. 117.01 and s. 117.225 and treat them as the application. Everything else is a vendor trying to get into the middle.
If you are shopping states, the paper is not the same. Alabama's RON license path and Arizona's RON license path use different statutes and different agencies. Read those only after you know Florida's two-step file.
What is the difference between a Florida notary commission and RON registration?
The commission is the office. The registration is permission to use that office through audio-video. One is four years of authority. The other is a filing that rides on top of it.
A Florida notary commission is the four-year appointment. Florida Statute 117.01 sets the notary application fee at $39 and the regular surety bond at $7,500.[1] You must be at least 18 and a legal resident of Florida. The commission is what lets you take acknowledgments, jurats, and the other acts in chapter 117.
RON registration is a later filing under s. 117.225. You cannot reverse the order. The statute starts from a current commission as a notary public, a civil-law notary, or a commissioner of deeds.[2] Most readers here are regular notaries.
Registration adds a $25,000 bond, $25,000 errors and omissions insurance, a course on online-notary duties and technology, and proof you can apply a secure electronic signature under s. 117.021(3).[2][8] It also ties you to audio-video technology that meets s. 117.295.[9] Those terms are defined in s. 117.201.[3]
Keep the two files separate in your head. A current stamp does not make a session legal. A pretty platform login does not replace the $25,000 bond.
| Item | Regular Florida notary | Florida online notary |
|---|---|---|
| Commission term | 4 years under s. 117.01 | Same commission, plus 117.225 registration |
| State application fee | $39 | $39, plus the registration fee s. 117.225 points to in s. 113.01 (confirm with DOS) |
| Bond | $7,500 | $25,000 |
| E&O | Not required by s. 117.01 | $25,000 minimum |
| Act fee cap | $10 under s. 117.05 | $25 under s. 117.275 |
| Recordkeeping | Paper journal is ordinary practice | Electronic journal plus audio-video, kept at least 10 years |
| Where you sit | In Florida for a Florida act | Physically in Florida for the whole session |
How much does remote online notarization cost in Florida?
Two bills exist, and people mix them on purpose. One is what you pay to get authorized. The other is what a signer pays for an act.
On the authorization side, start with the $39 notary application fee in s. 117.01.[1] Section 117.225 then tells you to pay a registration fee required by s. 113.01.[2][4] Confirm the dollar amount the Department of State is collecting this year before you wire anyone. I will not invent a current invoice. Bond and E&O premiums are private market prices. The face amounts are statutory ($25,000 and $25,000). The premium is not. Ask a Florida-admitted surety and a Florida-authorized insurer. A national "all-in RON kit" that never mentions those two face amounts is a waste of money.
First-time notary applicants also pay for at least 3 hours of instruction, including electronic and online notarization. Confirm the current course list with the Department of State.[1][9] The online registration adds its own course on duties, obligations, and technology.[2] Statute 117.225 does not print a credit-hour count for that second course. Do not let a marketer invent a 40-hour academy.
On the signer side, the number is clean. Florida Statute 117.275 caps the online notary's own fee at $25 per online notarization.[5] The statute says: "An online notary public or the employer of such online notary public may charge a fee, not to exceed $25, for performing an online notarization under this part."[5] Platform charges sit outside that cap. The same section says fees for a remote online notarization service provider are not governed by it.[5]
Regular in-person acts still sit under the $10 cap in s. 117.05, except where 117.275 applies.[6] If a closing quote is $75, ask them to split the $25 statutory notary fee from the vendor line. I would walk from any training that blurs those two numbers.
RONPath publishes a $99 one-time State RON Add-On Kit if you want the Florida paper mapped in one place. It is not a state fee and it is not a filing. Chapter 117 is free.
How long does remote online notarization take in Florida?
Two clocks run here, and only one of them is yours.
Commission and registration timing is a government process. Confirm current processing with the Florida Department of State. I will not invent a week count, and nobody honest should. Files stall on name mismatches, bond riders that still say $7,500, missing course certificates, and E&O declarations that never mention online notarial acts. Build slack. Do not promise a client a go-live date you cannot control.
The session itself is short once you are live. Credential analysis and identity proofing run before you ever reach the signature block. A clean one-signer acknowledgment can be done in a single sitting. Multi-signer packages run longer because each principal needs the identity treatment in s. 117.265.[7]
Audio-video has to stay up for the notarial act. If the call drops, you start over. That is not a vendor preference. It is how an online notarization is defined and performed.[3][7]
Nobody has good public data on average Florida session length. Platform blogs that advertise "minutes, not days" are selling seats. Your first month will be slower than your sixth, mostly because you will still be reading the journal fields out loud.
For the signer, the bottleneck is rarely the stamp. It is expired ID, a failed identity-proofing quiz, or a document the platform cannot render. Budget a backup window. Do not schedule a funding deadline five minutes after the appointment.
How do you register as a Florida online notary public?
Read s. 117.225 as a checklist. It is short. It is the actual paper path.[2]
Hold a current Florida commission. Submit a registration as an online notary public, signed and sworn. Pay the registration fee the Department of State assesses under the statute. Finish the course covering duties, obligations, and technology. Show you meet the secure electronic signature rules in s. 117.021(3). File evidence of a $25,000 bond payable to any individual harmed by a breach of duty while you act as an online notary public. File evidence that you carry $25,000 of errors and omissions insurance from an insurer authorized to transact insurance in this state.[2][8]
Then pick technology that meets s. 117.295 and the department's rules. You run sessions through a remote online notarization service provider, not a personal video app.[7][9] Confirm the current provider filing list with the Department of State before you sign an annual software contract. Lists move. A screenshot from 2022 is not evidence.
I would print 117.225 and tick each line with a pen. If a vendor's onboarding skips the bond rider or the E&O declaration page, stop. Software cannot cure a missing statutory attachment.
Civil-law notaries and commissioners of deeds can register too.[2] If that is you, use those commission papers. Do not apply as if you were a first-time chapter 117 notary unless you are one.
After the Florida file is done, it can help to see how other states phrase the same job. How to start RON in California and the Colorado RON license guide are different law. Do not copy their forms into a Florida packet.
What bond and errors and omissions insurance does Florida require?
Your regular $7,500 notary bond does not satisfy the online-notary statute. Florida Statute 117.01 still wants that $7,500 bond for the underlying commission.[1] Section 117.225 separately requires a $25,000 bond payable to any individual harmed as a result of a breach of duty by the registrant acting as an online notary public.[2]
Errors and omissions coverage is also a $25,000 minimum, and the carrier has to be authorized to transact insurance in Florida.[2] A generic business policy that never names online notarial acts will not help you at the registration desk.
Some underwriters issue a rider on the existing notary bond. Some issue a second bond. Confirm which document the Department of State wants this year. I would not prepay a three-year national policy until you know DOS will accept the specimen.
Keep the declarations page where you can upload it again. The commission lasts four years.[1] Online registration rides on that commission. When the commission dies, assume you refile the 117.225 package unless DOS tells you otherwise in writing.
Paying for $1 million of E&O because a webinar scared you is optional. The statute's floor is $25,000. Buy more if your real-estate volume makes you nervous. Do not buy more because a platform's affiliate link pays better on the large policy.
Where does a Florida online notary have to be during the session?
In Florida. That is not folklore.
Florida Statute 117.209 says: "An online notary public physically located in this state may perform an online notarization that meets the requirements of this chapter regardless of whether the principal or any witnesses are physically located in this state at the time of the online notarization."[10]
Take the laptop to an airport in Georgia and you are not a Florida online notary for that call. Quote 117.209 at the platform if it tries to assign you the session anyway.
The principal can sit anywhere. That is the design of the remote online notarization Florida law actually wrote. Witness location is a narrower problem. Ordinary acknowledgments are one thing. Wills, some estate documents, and certain real-property packages carry extra formalities. If you do not already know those forms, decline the session.
Your electronic journal should show you were in this state. Do not invent a home address you have already left. County clerks and opposing counsel can read a metadata trail even when a platform interface looks friendly.
What records does Florida make you keep after a RON act?
Ten years. Florida Statute 117.245 requires an electronic journal of online notarizations and an audio-video recording of each session, both kept for at least 10 years after the date of the notarial act.[11]
Read the full entry list in 117.245 before you accept a "simple" journal. Date and time, type of act, type of credential, the result of identity proofing, and the fee are not optional columns you can redesign because a spreadsheet looks cleaner.
Most people let the RON provider store the recording. That can work. Only if the contract actually keeps the file for 10 years and lets you pull it after you leave. Read the exit clause. I have seen agreements that make retrieval slow, expensive, or both. That cost never shows up in the monthly seat price.
If the vendor dies, you still own the duty. Ask, in writing, where the files live and who the successor custodian is. A marketing page that says "bank-grade security" is not a retention plan.
Paper notaries sometimes keep a bound book for a few years out of habit. Online work is stricter. Ten years is the number in the statute. Do not shorten it because a hard drive gets full.
Do you have to use a state-listed RON platform?
You cannot open a consumer video app and call it remote online notarization. Sections 117.265 and 117.295 require credential analysis, identity proofing, and audio-video communication technology that meets department standards.[7][9]
RON service providers file with the Department of State. Confirm today's list on the DOS notary pages before you buy a seat.[9] A pretty interface is not a legal standard.
If the vendor cannot show a Florida filing and a 10-year retention design that matches 117.245, keep your wallet closed.[11] I would also ask who holds the electronic journal if you quit mid-commission. "We will talk about that at cancellation" is a bad answer.
Some platforms bundle signer identity tools, e-sign, and the notary queue. Fine. Just remember 117.275 lets them charge for provider services on top of your $25 cap.[5] You are not required to pick the most expensive seat. You are required to pick a compliant one.
Do not build a homemade stack of KBA questions and a consumer recorder. Chapter 117 does not give you that option.
Can a Florida online notary serve a signer who is out of state?
Yes, if you are physically in Florida and the session meets chapter 117. Section 117.209 is explicit that the principal does not have to be in this state.[10]
Whether a recorder, lender, or another state's office will accept the certificate is a different question. Florida law cannot force a clerk in another state to like your electronic seal. Ask the receiving office before a high-stakes package. Get the answer in writing if the deal is large.
Do not advertise "legal in all 50 states." That is a national myth. Acceptance is a receiving-jurisdiction problem, never a Florida registration perk.
Foreign principals show up too. Identity documents and proofing tools are built around common U.S. credentials. If the platform cannot complete credential analysis, you do not get to shrug and proceed on a passport photo held up to a laptop. Section 117.265 still applies.[7]
If you later want volume from signers sitting in the west, look at how to start RON in Colorado or how to start RON in Arizona as separate careers. A Florida registration does not make you a Colorado notary.
What education does Florida require before you go live?
First-time notary applicants must complete at least 3 hours of interactive or classroom instruction, including electronic notarization and online notarization, within the year before they apply. Confirm the current registered course list with the Department of State.[1][9]
That 3-hour class is about becoming a notary at all. It is not the entire remote online notarization Florida training story.
Registration as an online notary also requires "a course covering the duties, obligations, and technology requirements for serving as an online notary public."[2] Section 117.225 does not state a credit-hour number for that course. Confirm what DOS is accepting this year. I would take the shortest approved course that actually walks through 117.245, 117.265, and 117.275. Anything that spends the day on lead generation is a waste of money.
Employers sometimes push a vendor webinar and call it the statutory course. Ask for the approval. If they cannot show it, sit the state-recognized class yourself.
Continuing education for the four-year renewal is a separate question. Confirm current renewal education with DOS when your commission is up. Do not trust a 2019 blog post.
What documents can you notarize online in Florida, and what should you decline?
Online notarization is still a notarial act under chapter 117. Acknowledgments and jurats that the platform can render, and that the receiving party will take in electronic form, are the daily work. The statute does not turn you into a closing attorney.
Wills, some estate planning packages, and certain real-property documents carry extra Florida formalities beyond a generic acknowledgment. If you do not already know those forms from in-person work, decline them. Guessing on an electronic will is how people get sued. I am not going to sketch a will procedure here. Read the probate statutes or send the client to counsel.
Self-proved documents, witness rules, and "can the witness also be remote" questions are document-specific. Section 117.209 lets witnesses sit outside Florida for an online notarization that otherwise meets the chapter.[10] That sentence does not rewrite every witnessing statute in the books.
I would also decline any session where the signer wants you to skip identity proofing because you "already know them." Section 117.265 does not give you a friends-and-family waiver.[7]
If the document must be recorded on paper in a county that still wants wet ink, say so before the call. An online certificate on a paper the clerk will reject is a wasted $25.
What trips people up in the first year of Florida RON?
Five things, over and over. Mixing the $10 in-person cap with the $25 online cap.[5][6] Using the $7,500 bond and thinking the registration is done.[1][2] Performing a session from outside Florida.[10] Letting a vendor delete recordings when the contract ends.[11] Skipping identity proofing.[7]
Another common mess: charging the signer one blended number and then being unable to show which part was the notarial fee. 117.275 cares about your $25. The provider can charge its own line. Keep them visible.
People also treat the electronic seal like a sticker they can drop onto any PDF that arrives in email. If you did not do the audio-video session, you did not do an online notarization. Full stop.
Renewal is not automatic RON. The underlying commission is four years.[1] When it ends, confirm with the Department of State whether you refile the 117.225 attachments. No approval or timing guarantee belongs in your marketing.
If you want another state's paper path next, start with a statute guide, not a Facebook group. How to start RON in Alabama and the California RON license guide are honest comparisons only after Florida is finished.
RONPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. Use the optional kit at /start if you want forms mapped. Use chapter 117 if you want the law. Confirm every variable fee and processing time with the Department of State before you take money from a signer.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for remote online notarization in Florida?
No standalone RON license exists. You need a current Florida notary public commission and a separate online notary registration with the Department of State under s. 117.225. Civil-law notaries and commissioners of deeds can register too. Confirm your status with DOS, not with a software vendor.
How much does remote online notarization cost in Florida?
Authorization costs include the $39 notary application fee in s. 117.01, a registration fee s. 117.225 ties to s. 113.01 (confirm the current DOS amount), a $25,000 bond, $25,000 E&O, and required courses. Signers may be charged up to $25 for the notary's own online act. Platform fees are separate and uncapped by 117.275.
How long does remote online notarization take in Florida?
Commission and registration timing is a Department of State process. Confirm current processing before you promise a go-live date. A live session can be a single sitting for one signer, longer for multi-signer packages, because each principal needs identity treatment under s. 117.265. Dropped video means you start the act over.
Can I become a Florida online notary if I live in another state?
No. A Florida notary commission requires you to be a legal resident of this state under s. 117.01, and an online notary must be physically located in Florida during each session under s. 117.209. Living elsewhere means you need that other state's commission. Florida registration does not travel with you.
What is the maximum fee a Florida online notary can charge?
Florida Statute 117.275 caps the online notary's own fee, or the employer's fee for that act, at $25 per online notarization. Fees for a remote online notarization service provider are not covered by that cap. In-person acts still sit under the $10 cap in s. 117.05 unless 117.275 applies.
How long must I keep RON recordings in Florida?
At least 10 years after the date of the notarial act. Section 117.245 applies that period to the electronic journal and to the audio-video recording. If a platform stores the files, the contract still needs to meet that 10-year duty and let you retrieve the session after you leave the vendor.
Does my regular $7,500 notary bond cover online acts?
Not for registration. Section 117.01 still requires the $7,500 bond on the underlying commission. Section 117.225 separately requires a $25,000 bond for the online-notary registration, plus $25,000 of E&O from a Florida-authorized insurer. Confirm the exact rider or second bond DOS wants this year.
Do I need a new commission to add RON?
You need a current commission, not a second commission. Online authority is a registration under s. 117.225 on top of the four-year appointment. When the commission expires, confirm with the Department of State whether the online registration must be filed again with new bond and E&O evidence.
Can I notarize a Florida will online?
Do not assume a generic online acknowledgment is enough. Wills and some estate documents have extra Florida formalities beyond chapter 117's online-notary procedures. If you do not already know those rules from regular practice, decline the session and send the client to counsel. Guessing on an electronic will is a bad first-year move.
Who approves RON technology in Florida?
The Department of State sets standards under s. 117.295, and RON service providers file with the department. Confirm the current provider list on the DOS notary pages before you buy a seat. A consumer video app with no credential analysis and no identity proofing does not meet s. 117.265.
Is identity proofing required for every Florida RON session?
Yes. Section 117.265 requires you to verify the principal's identity at the session using the credential analysis and identity-proofing processes described in the online-notary statutes and DOS standards. Knowing the signer socially is not a waiver. If proofing fails, you do not complete the online notarization.
When does Florida online notary registration expire?
It rides on the underlying notary commission, which lasts four years under s. 117.01. Confirm with the Department of State how online registration is treated at renewal and what attachments you must send again. Do not advertise continuous RON authority past the commission date unless DOS has confirmed the new file.
Sources
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.01 (2024): Four-year Florida notary commission, $39 application fee, $7,500 regular bond, age and residency, and first-time education rules
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.225 (2024): Online notary registration requires a current commission, sworn registration, fee under s. 113.01, technology course, $25,000 bond, and $25,000 E&O
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.201 (2024): Definitions for online notarization, remote online notarization service provider, identity proofing, and related Part II terms
- Florida Legislature, Statute 113.01 (2024): Governor commission fee statute that s. 117.225 incorporates for online notary registration
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.275 (2024): Online notary fee may not exceed $25; RON service provider fees are not governed by that cap
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.05 (2024): Ordinary notarial act fee may not exceed $10 except as provided in s. 117.275
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.265 (2024): Online notarization procedures, including identity verification through credential analysis and identity proofing
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.021 (2024): Secure electronic signature requirements incorporated by the online notary registration statute
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.295 (2024): Department of State standards and rulemaking for electronic and online notarization technology, including provider filings and required courses
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.209 (2024): Online notary must be physically located in Florida; principal and witnesses may be elsewhere
- Florida Legislature, Statute 117.245 (2024): Electronic journal and audio-video recording required, retained at least 10 years after the notarial act